I live on a bay that's perfect for sailing the kayak. I have a dock whose deck, depending on the tides, is maybe 4' to 8' above the waterline. I picked up a small, used davit that I can mount to the dock and use it to lower and raise the kayak to the water.

It looks something like this, but smaller...

The question is, how to best secure the kayak to the davit cable. Should I use the carrying handles? Should I buy two hoist straps and cradle the kayak in those?

Has anyone already rigged a solution that they can share? All suggestions welcom...

Then I just need to figure out how to lower myself into the kayak without breaking my neck...

_________________2010 Mirage Oasis Tandem

Words Of Wisdom From My Old Mentor....

"I never met a man on his deathbed, who wished he had spent more time at the office."

If it are me I would rig a couple slings to wrap around the hull, then mount a couple hooks to the face of the dock that you can hang an aluminum ladder on to get to and from the boat. I would remove the ladder when not using it, otherwise it won't last more than a few months.Alternately a couple ropes to the front and rear lifting cleats will also work but only on an empty boat and only short term ( never leave it dangling)We have a TI that we park at docks once in a while, the barnicles really tear the sides of the boat up, even ten minutes of rubbing against the dock makes the boat a hot mess.Hope this helpsBob

I like the sling idea. How do you envision keeping the kayak from sliding out of the sling once in the kayak is in the water? Remember, I'm going to be up on the dock, cranking the handle to lower it into the water.

Any ideas on how to connect the two slings at the far ends of the kayak to the davit hook which, presumably, would be positioned at the center of the kayak?

Larry

_________________2010 Mirage Oasis Tandem

Words Of Wisdom From My Old Mentor....

"I never met a man on his deathbed, who wished he had spent more time at the office."

Make a spreader bar with slings or line with clip at the ends. Even though you have a single line davit it would be best to attach the spreader bar to the davit line with a cable attached at two points (each end). A center connection the kayak can turn vertical if weight is not balanced. A bow and stern line will help you control rotation raising and lowering.

The question is how to unhook from the davit. I would guess you have to hook and unhook from the ladder with enough slack in the davit cable to shift the kayak forward and aft. Easy enough on the dock but inside the kayak may be a challenge. I would think just a single line and clip to the bow and stern would be easier than a strap/sling you have to get around the kayak in the water to lift it back up.

The material for a spreader bar would have to be strong enough to support the weight. Perhaps 3" galvanized metal conduit or galvanized metal fence post 6 to 8 feet long. Attach eyelets to the ends top & bottom.

Maybe someone here can recommend a good material for a spreader bar.

Some ideas that may get your creative mind working.

Revo

_________________I would rather be kayaking and think about work than to be at work thinking about kayaking.
A Thrill Ride is being dragged around in your kayak for 40 minutes by an extremely large fish.

I would think just a single line and clip to the bow and stern would be easier than a strap/sling you have to get around the kayak in the water to lift it back up.

Revo

To what, on the bow and stern, do you envision clipping the single lines to? I was actually thinking of doing exactly that but could figure out the attachment points on the kayak.

I had thought about the carrying handles, but not sure if that's a strong enough anchoring point.

At least temporarily, for today's test run I went with the sling idea.

I managed to get the davit installed today. Sucker was heavy...

I wound up putting some 2x8 PT under the existing stringers. Through bolted the whole thing and used some SS screws to shore up every 10 inches.

It worked like a charm

On the bow side I passed a cargo strap through the pedal opening and under. That worked fine. On the rear, it was harder to find the balancing point. That's why I think your idea is better. I just need to figure out where to connect.

I found 2" galvanized pipe that is strong enough and light enough. I don't know how to drill through round pipe in perfect alignment. I've got a drill press but need to think that through.

The nice thing about the sling is that I don't have to buy any extra parts. Everything you see came with the davit.....paid $100 for it.

So now, I can launch and sail the bay with relative ease...

Thanks for all the ideas!

_________________2010 Mirage Oasis Tandem

Words Of Wisdom From My Old Mentor....

"I never met a man on his deathbed, who wished he had spent more time at the office."

I have only sailed the lake behind my house in Pembroke Pines but want to get to North Biscayne Bay for some extended sailing. I would love to do some nice open water.

Your rig looks good and seems to work fine. Clamps on the drill press will hold it steady. I was thinking using the front and rear pad eyes as connections or install new ones. I would not hang it long term by the pad eyes. Let it sit on the dock when not in use or use straps as you have done straps better for long term suspension.

However it works to get you in the water.

Revo

_________________I would rather be kayaking and think about work than to be at work thinking about kayaking.
A Thrill Ride is being dragged around in your kayak for 40 minutes by an extremely large fish.

Just a cheep suggestion: I have looked at the pictures of your davit, and see that your setup has two supporting cables and a block. Two supporting cables and a block (pulley) arrangement effectively reduces the weight applied to the supporting cables by half - a good thing to have if picking up a heavy load - but also reduces the up and down speed by two. With a Kayak I don't think that is at all necessary. You should be able to pickup one with a single cable and eliminate the block altogether. You would come from the winch over the two stationary pulleys and down to the load with just a single line and a hook to attach to the bridle. Even 1/8" cable should have a load limit of say at least 400 lbs. Your kayak is what: 75# as is? Going to a single cable would increase your vertical speed by a factor of two versus your current configuration.

My home is located on the water too. I have a davit to hoist my wife's paddle boat, which is about four times the weight of a kayak. I have, by necessity, the two supporting cables and block arrangement too. And it took forever to hoist the pb from the dock to the water and back with a hand crank winch. So slow that I bought an 800# electric hoist from Harbor Freight for $129 for my davit.

Just remember it's free advise - Food for thought ONLY!

_________________Paul 2013 Pro-Angler 12 Olive

Heroes don't wear capes; they wear dog tags

Last edited by pjs on Sun Feb 16, 2014 7:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.